Brian’s TRT Blog

If you are a Social Studies teacher and wish for students to see the history and geography in one map, History Pin is for you. This video explains it best!

During a previous SuperBowl, you probably saw the Google ad that set to video a gentleman’s search on Google about Paris. You can do likewise by making your own Google search video. Make your search into a “story” and set it to music! I tried one about a recent plumbing issue and really enjoyed making it. Try it out!

While I am thinking that these are great primary source pictures to study to tie in with SOLs, they’re also FUN to look at. Notice, especially, the CROWDS on Granby St. doing their Christmas shopping!

http://hamptonroads.com/blogs/back-day

Now that YouTube has been opened for teachers, please take a moment to look at their education channel to see the benefits of using videos in your classroom. Have an experiment you want to show? Want to show the effects of a tornado on a train? More than just showing videos, take some time to check the site for Ten Ways to Use YouTube in the Classroom, see suggestions, and much more.

With classroom management suggestions, it’s recommended that you open your own account where you can place the videos you wish to show there. Interested in more suggestions and ideas? Don’t hesitate to ask!

What is your password to logon to email and other accounts? If it is on one of these lists, reconsider! (this is not Spam–link off Yahoo–relax!)

My musical tastes are eclectic; walk in to my house, scan my CD collection, and you’ll see quite a range of genre. Instead of being interested in only one category, I like many varieties. For example, it just doesn’t feel right to play classical music on a hot Virginia day–but on a cold day, it seems to fit the mood/season of the day. Kenny G in the winter? Never (except at Christmas). If all I had to listen to was Kenny G, I’d grow weary of even hearing the first note of the saxaphone.

I’ve always been a fan of Baroque and Classical era music, and I often have enjoyed watching a symphony play, for example, a great Vivaldi number. The violins are in sync, the harpsichord is chirping away, and the conductor looks at home leading his Charge. The conductor sets the tempo, pace, and “feel/interpretation” of the music. He is, in fact, a facilitator, and coaches the symphony to come together to produce a beautiful sound.

After reading RSS feeds and reading a post on Langwitches, take a break from the hecticness of the week and take time to listen to the presentation from TED in 2009. Are you a conductor?

Billie McConnell in Technology Integration for Teachers asks, “Is technology a motivator to higher academic performance?” and writes how, after observing schools and classrooms, “If the teachers are not creating real experiences that can be solved with the technology, the devoices become ‘old hat’ and the students quit using them.” In other words, it’s not the technology, but how we plan our lessons to USE the technology. The article continues to discuss that project based learning tends to motivate students more than the traditional use of technology to support lectures (AKA PowerPoint slides to back up what the teacher is lecturing). The point? McConnell writes that students do not play games for entertainment, but the challenge is the draw that fascinates them. Otherwise, if there is no challenge, the students’ motivation is lost. This supports the desire to incorporate higher order thinking skills and use less drill-and-kill technology. For further information:

Daniel Pink’s What Motivates Us:

Read Judy Willis’ blog post on A Neurologist makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool

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Billie McConnell, E. D. (Aug/Sept 2011). Is Technology a Motivator for Students. Technology Integration for Teachers , Vol. 16, #1.

Recent events and news occuring at our schools:
Mrs. Connell took her class on an “archaeology dig” to Colonial Williamsburg. Using Ignite/ION to begin the lesson, students were able to review key terms, and afterwards, Mr. McKee shared information from his own digs at CW before students embarked on their own “dig” in the classroom. After the activity, students presented their theories about what they thought items were that they dug up.

Mrs. Daniels recently made a Kidspiration template for students to use during their computer lab time

Ms. Laughlin is working on Main Idea interactive activities in the computer lab and is preparing to web using Inspiration

Mrs. White had students import pictures of themselves into Paint, cut out digitally parts of imported pictures and insert their own faces on to the space to create new “creatures” to help discuss classroom rules. I have even had feedback from teachers in other buildings who have commented that they want to do this activity in their own lessons!

Mrs. Baum recently had students make sensory word posters using Big Huge Labs. They also made synonym posters in Microsoft Word to make words come “alive” and increase their vocabulary awareness.

Mrs. Cash is preparing to use Thinkfinity interactives in her unit on cells.

First grade teachers at CES are preparing to use laptops with their students on a regular basis.

Mrs. Barrett is having a Past and Present cookout with her students on Friday. They will use measuring cups and recipes to prepare fried apples over an open campfire and compare past cooking (campfire) and present (camping stove). Students will take pictures with Hamilton Cameras of the day’s activities and parents who are attending.

Mrs. Serafine, Crist, and Patgorski are reporting exciting things about advanced Inspire training at Tech Tuesday.

Mrs. Patgorski and Sanford are STOKED about the Quia training that they are receiving at Tech Tuesday and are already using it regularly in their classrooms.

Mrs. Jernigan has jumped on the Inspiration bandwagon and is asking how to make containers and restrictors on her flipcharts!

Mrs. Kirk was the first one to jump on board and has begun working on her professional development Menu!

15 teachers at CES have already expressed interest in attending morning Promethean Users Group meetings (could it be the food? Nooooooooooo….)

The 4th and 6th grade teams at CES are preparing for an Archaeology Dig and Colonial Fair to be held this Spring. We’ll be making videos of the day as well as Voicethreads/podcasts.

Mrs. McCullough is excited after her Data Projector training as she prepares to use it for her Social Studies classes.

Mrs. Rhodes is smiling now when she mentions technology! You’re our poster child! 

Mrs. Lyman used her Promethean Board with Mr. McKee and Mrs. Sherrill on the first day it was up, and students learned so quickly how to maneuver through the Menubar that all three teachers were able to step back!

Mrs. Butera is enjoying her document camera cart very much!

Mrs. Sirna is working on a Voicethreads project

Mrs. Hudgins missed her MCPS room so much that she went on a hunt for another data projector and loves having one back

Mr. Shenk is incorporating technology in his PE lessons on a regular basis with a data projector cart and digital equipment to track exercise and time activities.

Ms. Campbell reports that her MCPS room is great for helping incorporate technology into her music lessons as she teaches guitar and other instruments.

Mrs. Woody worked with all first grade classes and took them on Geometry Scavenger Hunts in the building, shooting geometry pictures wherever shapes were found that they were studying

Mrs. Jordan is working with a group of fifth graders on Math picture collages with pictures taken around the building

Mrs. Blanford is using her ActivSlate and Document Camera with great glee in the Reading Lab!

Mrs. Ruben reports that she is passing her wireless keyboard around during lessons for students to use during the lessons

14 JTY teachers will be attending Breakfast with your TRT on 11/7 in room 108 to learn about Promethean tricks and Promethean Planet

Mr. Nonnemacher shared a home video and pictures of a hail storm with his flip chart for 4th grade’s study of storms

If I missed something, feel free to share by adding a comment and letting us all know!

Need a new and different idea for project based learning for sequencing or time order? Go beyond worksheets and have students create a comic strip and demonstrate higher order thinking. Two sites that are particularly easy to manipulate and complete in a time intensive pacing environment:

THINKFINITY:
Lesson plans and the link to creating a comic strip page are here. Ideas are given on the jump page and suggestions, and once you are ready, students can make their comic. Suggestion: Save this page on the H drive and save yourself some time from having students type in the URL.

PROFESSOR GARFIELD:
Similar to above, but Professor Garfield has more color and of course, has Garfield in as the main character. To try it out, click here.

For Further Reading:

Free Technology Tips for Teachers

Are you needing a new way to choose students to answer a question, go on an errand run, ad infinitum? Instead of choosing names out of a hat, how about having an interactive site do it for you? Enter your students’ names, and let the “machine” or “typewriter” do it for you! ClassTools.net also has free templates for
Arcade Game Generator
Countdown Timer
Twister
Keyword Checker
Plagiarizr
Venn Diagram
Timeline
and others to choose from!